The Offer
by Ebil Chameleon
Summary: Ike becomes slightly paranoid when he learns of Stefan's offer to Soren. IkeSoren Oneshot.


**My second FE. My second Ike/Soren. Because they are the ultimate. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. It'd be hell if it was. A few dead people and plenty of yaoi =)**

**So, please enjoy and happy reading!**

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We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.

**-John W. Gardener**

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"Are you going to go?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about."

"You know." It was hard for him to get the words out. "With him. Stefan. Are you going to go with him?"

It was harder to listen to his silence. What was he expecting though? An immediate answer, hopefully a 'no?' What made him think to expect something like that?

"I'm not going to go, Ike."

That was a breath of relief, but that brought up the question. "Why?" Ike asked.

The two were alone in their tent set up for the night in camp. Finally the war was over and Ashnard was defeated. The tedious battles were finished and the country was somewhat at peace once more. Now the army that Ike commanded was separating and returning to their respectful homes.

"What do you mean, why?" Soren asked. He was sitting at the small, make-shift desk that was set up for him, candle burning slowly beside him as he held the quill in his hand and filed information on their supplies and how much they had to spare to other fighters who were about to depart from the main of the Greil Mercenaries.

"I know more than you give me credit for Soren," Ike said. He slipped his boots off his feet and removed his shirt, feeling a bit more relieved in the humid summer air. He laid back on the large cot set up for the two, his hands behind his head.

Soren let a small sigh slip from between his lips. His crimson eyes stayed focused on his work but the quill in hand stopped moving.

"Well, I know what you told me. About you being a Branded and all. And that night that he talked to you…I kinda overheard the two of you talking."

The quill was set down gently and Soren turned around in the chair he was occupying, his eyes turning to rest on the man lying in the bed. Ike glanced over without moving his head and felt the heat of the stare. Not good.

"I would like to think you weren't eavesdropping. We were a bit away from the rest of the encampment." Soren arched a slim brow as Ike swiftly shook his head side to side.

"No! I wasn't, honestly! I came to find you since it was almost dinner time. So I heard you two talking and I didn't want to interrupt so-"

"So you decided to listen in instead?"

Ike was receiving the look Soren gave people when he was tweaked with them. He shied away and turned his eyes back to the top of the tent, watching it ripple as the wind outside blew by.

"I didn't mean to. But I was curious as to what you were talking about. I mean, you don't exactly go out of your way to talk to people." A hand extended down to scratch at his bare stomach. "So I heard his offer. For you to go live with him and the others in the desert. And him telling you that you don't belong with us. That we're not the same as you."

He trailed off and Soren offered no words at first. But it was obvious that Ike wanted him to take an active role in this conversation. "Ike, I'm not going to go."

It was said as convincingly as it could have been and the mage wasn't sure if Ike truly believed him or not. Hopefully he had expressed his loyalty well enough over the time of the war that Ike would have no doubts in his mind.

"If you ever did decide to…leave us and go with them…I…"

Soren wanted to say something, tell him that he was being ridiculous and that his decision was final. But what was Ike trying to say and why was he hesitating?

Deciding he had done enough work for the night, Soren blew out the candle and stood up from the chair, walking over to the bed he and Ike shared. He sat on the edge and slipped his boots off, setting them beside Ike's. He unfastened the cloak from around his shoulders and folded it up and set it down. He didn't find the night air as warm as Ike apparently did and he slipped under the thin quilt. Once settled, they were quiet for a moment. "What would you do Ike?" Soren inquired quietly.

He missed the ghost of a smile that appeared on his face. "If you told me you were going to go, I'd probably try and talk you out of it. And if you left without a word." A small chuckle fell from his mouth. "I'd probably chase after you."

Soren turned onto his side, facing Ike. He glanced up at him at him with emotion-filled eyes. He wasn't shocked with Ike's words but it was reassuring to hear that there was at least someone who cared enough to follow him and attempt to get him to stay with them. There was no possible way he could leave someone like that.

Ike turned his head and noticed Soren watching him with adoration in his eyes. He loved seeing Soren fall so vulnerable and open, the icy walls being melted and he would show what he was really feeling for once. His chest swelled and his body took control of itself as he leaned down and gently kissed Soren on the lips.

"Tell me," Ike started as he ended the kiss. "Have you considered going with him?"

Soren didn't answer right away and instead raised his hands to the back of Ike's head. A forgotten article was left there. If Soren had a blue gem for all the times Ike forgot to remove his headband before going to bed, he's definitely be rich.

"In a way, his words made sense. Truthfully, I'm not like everyone else in the group."

"I'm not seeing how that's true," Ike butted in.

"Ike, we're both young, meaning our bodies are still growing. Haven't you noticed in the past few years? I haven't grown an inch. You tower over me now. I should be growing, maybe not at the same rate as you, but at some rate. But I'm not. My body's growing process has slowed considerably."

Ike took this into consideration for a very short amount of time. "Okay, so you'll be a bit shorter. Is there a problem with that?"

Just like Ike to joke at a time like this. "It's not a matter of height. Think about it. I won't age the same as you. So as you grow older, I will too. Only at a much slower rate. So when everyone in the mercenary group passes on, I'll…"

"You'll be left alone?"

"Exactly." Soren had thought about that possibility since he first discovered his undesirable race. "To think that you'll die and I'll be left alone for so many years afterwards. I just…I can't possibly live a day more than you do."

Ike chose that time to slip under the covers and his arms reached out to embrace the mage. "Let's not talk about that. That day is far off." Soren released a long breath as he kept himself calm. He easily curled into Ike's warm arms and breathed in his musky, comforting scent. "I understand what you're trying to say. It makes sense to go and live with him and the others, people you can relate to and where you'll be accepted. I may not be able to understand what it's like to be a Branded, but I can do my best to be here when you need me."

The chirping of the crickets filled the air and the light howl of the wind sounded. Ike shifted and his legs and tangled them with Soren's, his arms pulling him in closer. The commander buried his face in the mage's hair, the faint smell of flower blossoms and apples dominating since his last wash in the nearby river. He inhaled the intoxicating scent and nearly got high on the scent that was just Soren.

"I heard what you told him," Ike whispered, still holding the other tight to him. "About how you wouldn't leave my side."

Soren nuzzled his face into Ike's neck. "'S true," he confided. "I can't imagine leaving your side."

"Well good, cause I'm not gonna let you."

"I have no problem with that." He yawned then. "We have a long day of traveling ahead of us, so sleep will be best now."

"I'm not all that tired," Ike mused. His hand drifted and began to slither beneath Soren's shirt. Unamused or aroused, the raven haired boy slapped Ike's hands away expertly. "No."

"Aw, come on Soren. Just a little?"

"No Ike. Go to sleep."

Ike muttered to himself, "No fun."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Good night."

Soren fell asleep with a small smirk on his face. _'Good night, Ike.'_

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**So the truth is, I can't write a decent ending to save my life. And I'm sick. My head is throbbing right now and my ears are plugged. It feels like my head is filled with pudding or something and my ears are preventing it from escaping. Weird analogy, I know.**

**So review if you like it…or didn't like it. Either way…**


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